My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1124 Spreading Rumors and Slander
Wen Zhong, dressed in black armor, stood quietly in the shadows.

His face was resolute, his brows bearing the vicissitudes of the Investiture of the Gods war. He remained silent throughout, his gaze fixed on the circular screen and Wen Rui's figure, observing the entire intelligence gathering process led by mortals.

Since the Tongtian Sect Leader had already decided to get involved in this major cause and effect, it was a fait accompli. Wen Rui's treacherous scheme had succeeded, and Wen Zhong was powerless to reverse the situation. He had originally planned to observe the situation quietly, but he couldn't help but speak up and rebuke Wen Zhong.

After cursing the rebellious son who defied the heavenly order, Wen Zhong refocused his gaze on the images flashing on the screen—Guang Chengzi's predicament in front of the Tushita Palace, the trajectory of Venus to the Jade Void Palace, and the records of Xuan Nu reviewing the documents. Every piece of information was clear and detailed, with even the time, place, and words and actions of the people being accurate.

Wen Zhong habitually stroked his three long strands of beard, but his thoughts drifted back to the Investiture of the Gods a thousand years ago.

Intelligence warfare at that time relied on celestial methods: either sending disciples skilled in concealment and transformation to infiltrate enemy camps to gather intelligence, or using divination to predict the enemy's movements, or relying on the divine sense of a Primordial Golden Immortal covering thousands of miles to perceive the enemy's location.

Back then, intelligence work relied entirely on the cultivation and experience of individual immortals. Once the core scouts were captured or the simulations were disrupted, the entire intelligence chain would break.

Countless times, the Jie Sect hastily engaged in battle without fully understanding their opponent's strengths, only to be utterly defeated by the Chan Sect's various extraordinary techniques. It wasn't until they figured out the opponent's tactics that they were able to barely turn the tide a few times.

But the scene before him completely overturned his understanding of intelligence work—there were no immortals lurking, no divination or prediction, only a team of mortals who, with rows of cold instruments and detailed reports, had a complete grasp of the movements of all parties in the three realms.

"Senior brother, this is a list of the recent whereabouts of important figures from the Chan Sect and the Western Sect. Through satellite monitoring and ground intelligence, we have confirmed that eight of them are gathering at the Jade Void Palace, while the other four are still in their respective caves and are expected to set off tomorrow."

Shui Ning'er handed a form to the Creator Heavenly Venerable. The form not only marked the whereabouts of the Golden Immortals, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas, but also included their entourage, magical treasures, and estimated arrival times.

Wen Rui took the form, quickly glanced at it, and nodded: "Very good. Highlight the four important targets who have not yet set off. Send ground intelligence agents to keep a close eye on them. Once they depart, update their routes immediately, predict the areas they may pass through, and make defensive deployments in advance."

"Yes!" Shui Ning'er immediately turned around and gave instructions to the intelligence team responsible for ground monitoring.

As Wen Zhong watched this scene, he felt increasingly moved.

He once thought that the ultimate intelligence work was the magical treasures of immortals, such as the Bagua Mirror, Yin Yang Mirror, and Tai Chi Mirror, which could see thousands of miles away; or the supernatural power of omniscience to calculate and deduce; or the divine beast with superb hearing and an extremely wide listening range, such as the Di Ting.

But now it has been discovered that the network built by mortals using "satellites" and "ground-based linkage" is more comprehensive and detailed than the insights of the magic mirror.

The magic mirror can only see the surface, but it cannot predict the opponent's next move through data analysis like these mortals. The magic mirror relies on the user's cultivation level, while these mortals' systems can make up for individual deficiencies through teamwork. Even if a certain intelligence point has a problem, other points can fill in in time, making it watertight.

"Oh, right, senior brother!"

Shui Ning'er, who had just received the order to arrange the next step of the surveillance plan, turned back as if she suddenly remembered something: "The Western Sect seems to be spreading rumors about you, saying that Tathagata, through his ability to predict destiny, discovered that you are a being possessed by the soul of an extraterrestrial demon from beyond the heavens. They are trying to use this to slander you and label your actions of spreading new knowledge of the Intercepting Sect, educating sentient beings, and integrating races as evil, thereby justifying and legitimizing their pretext for launching a war." Wen Zhong, who was standing aside, listened to the information Shui Ning'er gave him and couldn't help but prick up his ears. For a moment, he felt that Tathagata's predictions through his ability to predict destiny seemed to make some sense, and they even matched the observations of his third eye.

I've disliked this wicked son since he was a child, always feeling that he exudes an evil aura. It's like a man who always thinks his son looks more like the neighbor's son. Even though he hasn't caught them in the act, he has a premonition in his heart.

If it really is a case of possession by an extraterrestrial demon, wouldn't that solve the case?
But Wen Zhong thought about it again and felt it was impossible. If Wen Rui was really possessed by an evil spirit from outside the realm, how could the divine eyes of the Tongtian Sect Master not see it?

The Western Sect and the Chan Sect have always been fond of spreading rumors and slandering the Jie Sect. They readily label the disciples of the Jie Sect. Not to mention that the Jie Sect's Hunyuan Golden Immortals have known Wen Rui since childhood that he is not a demon, even if he were truly possessed by an extraterrestrial demon, it would not be a big deal in the Jie Sect's doctrine.

The Tongtian Sect Leader had already taken many local demons as disciples, so taking in an extraterrestrial demon was no different in essence.

The teachings of the Jie Sect emphasize inclusiveness, regardless of who you are, whether you are righteous or evil, good or bad.

This is the same stigmatizing tactic used in the past when the disciples of the Jie Sect were accused of being "creatures with fur and horns, born from eggs and moisture." It's just a different way of saying it, nothing new.

"Ah this..."

Wen Rui's face darkened suspiciously, and he said agitatedly, "Don't listen to Tathagata's nonsense! He even said he was born the only one worthy of respect in heaven and earth. How could I... how could I be an extraterrestrial demon? This is slander! He's slandering me!"

As she spoke, she stole a glance at Wen Zhong beside her. Wen Zhong, who had already dismissed his suspicions, was instead aroused again.

If this kid didn't look exactly like him when he was young, Wen Zhong would be a little unsure whether Madam Wen, who had already entered reincarnation, was having some kind of affair with the Heavenly Demon behind his back.

"Hmph, this is a cognitive war. They can't attack our system because facts speak louder than words. After being educated by my Jie Sect, all living beings are living much better lives than before."

Wen Rui's panic was only temporary. He quickly calmed down and said firmly, "So they can only slander me personally, label me as a heretic and evil demon, and use this fallacy to erase all my achievements. Everything I do is wrong. It's a typical case of targeting the person, not the issue. Anyone who falls for this trick will be just like when the Chan Sect slandered my Jie Sect as beasts. They will willingly admit that they are beasts with incomplete senses!"

"Back then, the teachings of my Jie Sect were clearly in perfect harmony with the Heavenly Dao, and were exactly the form of education that all living beings needed most. The Chan Sect and the Western Sect relied on a single move to wage a cognitive war, which tricked even the Tongtian Sect Leader, making him realize that he was in the wrong. This made him vulnerable at every turn, which prevented him from being fully determined to fight back. He repeatedly showed mercy to the disciples of the Chan Sect, which ultimately led to his great defeat."

Wen Zhong's suspicions were suppressed by Wen Rui's words, and he was momentarily lost in confusion and bewilderment. His vertical eyes, which were usually sharp enough to distinguish right from wrong, seemed to have lost their power, and he could not see through Wen Rui's true nature.

(End of this chapter)